Monday, April 02, 2007

D likes scones. He likes to have scones with clotted cream. I got him a jar of clotted cream a while back, but, didn't get around to making the scones to go with it until now...

The gnarly dark green leaves along with their deep red stalks are unmistakably signaling the rise of the rhubarb again this year. This hardy perennial heralds the start of the growing season, usually the garden's first gift I look forward to each spring.

The first spring stalks are supposed to be the best, so, I wanted to use it for making some baked goodies. I like its crisp tartness. Pie is not a favorite of mine, so, I decided to try something along the lines of scones, having tried a few other things with rhubarb before...

The leaves contain oxalic acid and are toxic; the deep red stalks are the only edible portion of this plant (Rheum rhabarbarum). Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable.

And, rhubarb is the plant I would like to share for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Anh at Food Lover's Journey.

1 cup rhubarb, cooked, drained and mushed2/3 to 3/4 cup buttermilk**(add a little at a time to form a dough that is not runny or loose)

Preparation

microwave the rhubarb till it is soft;(no extra water needed - usually a cup of coarsely chopped rhubarb cooks in about 45 seconds to a minute); drain well, or reduce buttermilk quantity

combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in the ghee till the flour mixture feels like breadcrumbs; gradually stir in the rhubarb, then buttermilk

either roll the dough into a ball and flatten to a one-inch thick disk, score the tops into wedge shapes, and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet ; OR, just roughly make triangular shaped heaps on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet

bake in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes or till done - toothpick inserted comes out clean; sprinkle some of the reserved sugar on top